"Before I had joined the Peace Corps I had wanted to be challenged physically, mentally and emotionally. I wanted to contribute to society and then wanted to wash my hands of service. I thought I could just come home after my service and continue to live my life as I had before. I found out that could not be the case. My desire to help people and work in extreme situations has only grown. My work as a Peace Corps volunteer has helped me develop a love for life that I can't quite articulate. Today, I can't help to wonder if my contributions have shaped my community's experience, or if this experience has shaped me? The opening and closing of doors throughout my service has only led me to believe that experiences can shape us and we can also shape our experiences."

Des Plainesite, Peace Corps Member Reflects On Volunteer Work, Making A Difference In Paraguay

(Ed. Note: The following is a story written by Des Plaines resident Mike Fitzgerald who has been serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraquay the last few years. Mike has written previous accounts of his unusual experiences which were published in the Journal. He recently completed his volunteer stint.)

By MIKE FITZGERALD

Now that I have completed my service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay, South America, I can recall many incidents of feeling small and big. One night I finished my dinner and opened my old wooden door to step outside for some fresh air and a little change. As I stepped from my old broken down house out onto my patio I can remember being overtaken by the vast size of the universe, I felt small, very small. The stars scattered above me throughout the large Paraguayan sky gave me a feeling of insignificance.

As I stood there looking up into the sky at the overwhelming amount of stars I couldn't help but think about how I am such a small part of this world and its processes. The past two years of my service I had created a computer center for students and teachers to use, most of whom had never even touched a computer before. I had helped families with gardening, agriculture, and honeybee keeping techniques. I had worked with teachers to improve their math, reading, science, health, and communication skills. I had become the hit of the town. I was famous within my community. I felt big and important. My projects had brought much joy and an improved standard of living to my community. These projects opened doors for many individuals and helped others contribute significantly to their community.

As I stood under the stars, I started to feel as if my community projects may not have as much significance as I had originally thought. I had felt confident that my projects would continue after I left my site, but those stars made me think differently. Had I really made a difference? Is my work sustainable? These questions bothered me as I reflected on my past two years of service as a Peace Corps volunteer. I felt small and insignificant as I pondered these questions under Paraguay's large sky.

I couldn't help but to think about my time as a volunteer and whether if I had made a significant difference. I experienced many challenges, bad times, good times and crossroads that would change my life forever. Were those two years of service worth it? Had my service been of any benefit to myself or to others? For a moment, standing under those stars on that clear, beautiful night did not make me feel as if my time had been worth it.

Sitting down on my front step and contemplating these questions, admiring the big sky and its beauty, I came to the realization that what I had accomplished was something of great significance. Despite the success and sometimes failures of my projects, mine and my community's effort, desire to change and willingness to try made my two years of service alone worth it. The interactions which stimulated change, thought, and growth within my community and me easily justified my time spent in Paraguay.

Within the world of sustainable development one must learn that sustainable development is a long process. Change happens slowly and one must realize that one person, one project or a single effort is a small part of something much larger.

My service proved frustrating at times because I did not always get to see a tangible reward or event. I had to learn that my effort might not become significant, a hard reality to come to terms with. However, to know my effort will contribute to something larger is a reward in itself. This is not an easy reward to recognize; many individuals do not appreciate this kind of reward and choose to pursue other simpler, easier rewards.

I learned as a Peace Corps volunteer to be happy that I am contributing to something much larger than myself. I am a very small part of that process but nonetheless a part of it and my contribution does make a difference, as do all of ours. I realized that my significance was like playing a role of a single star in the sky. One star is insignificant but together the stars can create a galaxy.

Before I had joined the Peace Corps I had wanted to be challenged physically, mentally and emotionally. I wanted to contribute to society and then wanted to wash my hands of service. I thought I could just come home after my service and continue to live my life as I had before. I found out that could not be the case. My desire to help people and work in extreme situations has only grown. My work as a Peace Corps volunteer has helped me develop a love for life that I can't quite articulate. Today, I can't help to wonder if my contributions have shaped my community's experience, or if this experience has shaped me? The opening and closing of doors throughout my service has only led me to believe that experiences can shape us and we can also shape our experiences.

The process of change I experienced in Paraguay has led me to believe in change and its benefits. This change in who I am has brought a change in what I can do. Sometimes that change is minuscule, sometimes it's massive, but change always occurs and I stand in awe of that reality. I would encourage all of you to seek this change and continue to strive for opportunities for yourself and others. Change shapes and reshapes who we are, resulting in a better world.

I would like to thank the Journal & Topics Newspapers for the opportunity to share my stories, as a Peace Corps volunteer, with all of you.

When this story was posted in October 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace CorpsSenator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

He served with honorOne year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

Chris Shays Shifts to Favor an Iraq TimetableIn a policy shift, RPCV Congressman Chris Shays, long a staunch advocate of the Bush administration's position in Iraq, is now proposing a timetable for a withdrawal of American troops. How Mr. Shays came to this change of heart is, he says, a matter of a newfound substantive belief that Iraqis need to be prodded into taking greater control of their own destiny under the country’s newly formed government. As Chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security, he plans to draft a timetable for a phased withdrawal and then push for its adoption. A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War who said that if drafted he would not serve, Chris Shays has made 14 trips to Iraq and was the first Congressman to enter the country after the war - against the wishes of the Department of Defense.

Peace Corps' Screening and Medical ClearanceThe purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

The Peace Corps is "fashionable" againThe LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

PCOL readership increases 100%Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

History of the Peace CorpsPCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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Story Source: Des Plaines Journal

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Paraguay

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